Too much of a dramatic Name... Anyways, this is my frst tym with hardscaping and I had a plan for something else than what came out at the end. The tank is not complete yet in terms of hardscape. a few detailing will be done post 1month time, when things go stable and that extra bright snow looks more withered and pale.

Story behind the theme-Imagine of time, v v old, when people used to live in jungles. the higher ground is like a platform for gathering. like normally what we see a place with concrete pillars for people's gathering. so, people used to gather there, then some natural disaster happened and that pre historic platform was torn down over time. then after it remained so for a long time, weather went cold, snow deposited on top of it. trees were all dead. now, when the nature stabilized after a long storm, new lives are coming out of it. trees are getting greener and bushier(left twig with riccia). Marsilea hirsuta and downoi are for aesthetics as of now. feel to it the hm is coming out underneath the rock to signify, you jst cant kill life permanently. If the conditions are suitable, life is always there no matter what(Algae's fav dialogue may b ). and hence the name 'From the Ashes'.

My special thanks to -@abhirup da...@el batty da for helping me choose the plants from the many options i came up with and@aquaRajan da, for the nomenclature of the scape and some subtle detailing aspects that will be executed aftr a month

The star grass in the BG is used to try showcase a dense jungle(will make it dense) in front of which the platform is placed. HM signifies the most simple life form as its coming through the rock's bottom. so its easier for hm to grow in abundance.

Tank Details-Dimension- 10"cubeFilter- HOB. will upgrade to ipf after a month.substrate- cocopeat and perlite mix topped with sand gravel white subs is quartz sand.lights- Halonix 7watt led lamp. will add 3wattx2 local made led lamps.Dosing-Lab grade chemicals and Rexolin CXK.co2-sugar yeast as of now. will upgrade to pressurized, once I get hold of ceramic diffuser.

Experience from 1st tym Scaping(to the new comers in the hobby)- Substrate- As My initial plan was different, hence whole whole tank dont have the substrate to support plants. I will have to rely mostly on dosing now.Downoi- If u chk d position of downoi, there is only rock underneath it. At frst was doubtful if it will make it but thn remembered dat m growing downoi floating now a days, So i can make it up for him/her by dosing optimally. Same goes for hirsuta as I have grown it in sand only during substrate experiments. HM- For hm, growing floated in a tank so no issues there. Star grass- its new to me, bt saw it can grow in mid-low lights too.

So a good exp of the plants is crucial imo as seniors always tell but I never realized so practically before. Also, before going fr any scaping, its great to have stocks of many plant species. So dat one can have many options to choose from. Fr this scape, fr every position i came up with 2-3plants nd i have stocks of all. This really helps one think with a free mind. Plus, if u r sm1 like me, who's ideas evolve while executing a pre planned thing, this is v imp to hav different things in sticks taking from different filters, medias, plants lights. I had no plans to use white substrate but I eventually did as my ideas changed while working. Its always handy to scape as u r a owner of a big shop nd u hav things available in ur stock. Nd believe me, these stocks wont happn in a month or two. The warehouse of items will gradually increase with the time u r in hobby.Dats it frm my end abt 1st scaping....hope u gyz enjoyed reading

Here is a pic---

From the Ashes.JPG

Please do feel free to let me know ur views. As i have no idea on hardscapes, please point the areas of improvements reqd.

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Last edited by SanamMarik on Tue Nov 17, 2015 6:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

now this is Day 18's Pic...just past cycling phase(algal breakout) done... no faunas except for the BBAs... will be doing the 1st trim after a bit more growth... please ignore the broom stick diffuser and the pipe....

Day 18.JPG

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